Kalki slams victim blaming on YouTube

When Kalki Koechlin agreed to feature in a satirical video about victim blaming in cases of sexual assault against women in India, she wasn’t sure if people would get it. But going by the response to the YouTube video, It’s Your Fault, which got more than 2 lakh views in just 48 hours, the actor is relieved.

“We were worried that people might not get the sarcasm but they did. It’s great to see the response,” says Kalki, adding that she was bowled over by the concept. “When Tanmay (Bhat, one of the founders of All India Bak****, a comedy podcast that has made the video) asked me to do the video, I was busy and told him it’s unlikely but when he sent the script and I saw what it was, I had to do it,” says the actor.

In the video, a smiling Kalki and VJ Juhi Pande tell women that rape is their fault, followed by more women looking in the camera and saying, ‘It’s my fault’. From a girl’s clothes to not addressing the rapist as bhaiyya — the two bring up everything that has been used to blame victims over the years.

About criticism that people who understand satire are not the kind who blame victims, Kalki, 29, says, “It’s unfair to assume that the English-speaking world is rape free. But this doesn’t mean such a video shouldn’t be made in other languages.”